Lock ring



Aug. 25, 1931.

'c. H. CLEVELAND 1,820,268

LOCK RING Filed July 11. 1929 INVENTOR CHARLES H. CLEVELAND ATTORNE Y5 ist -groove; 3 bjects o f the-invention will appear Patented Aug. 2 s, 1 931' mm a v e eses izi invention relatesto anflimproved lock ring adapted. to: :be inserted in, an. annular groove- 1n a bearlng to prevent or lnn tvaxial movement of a member 1 supported therein. An object ofthe invention'is to provide a lock; ring comprisinga body porti'on'adapted to be seatedjin an annular groove provided atone end of 'a bearing, and having itst'erminals bent inwardly and adapted for in.

terljockingengagement;to prevent the ring from o accidentally becoming disengaged Q th g 00ve I w ich t'm y bese t serting it inkand y-removing it from the reta nlnggroove.

;-.Other objects of the iiiventionare 6 pro v V 'vide a -lock; ring 'havingmeans foripositi eIy'pre entingit from accidentallyhe.-

coming? disengaged from; the: retaining groove in; whichjit may be seated; and to provide a 100k ring v hawing its; -term,1 l L1S so shapedthat when they are not interlocked s?!"- with one anotherand are graspedbyfl P of pliers, or other suitable; i nstrument,; the 7 ring will contract or be, sufliciently reduced in diameter to permit it to be readily in-;

sertedinto: and removed irom the retaining Qthe, from the following. description and {aceom Peny g vd W ng an w b p i o i herannex d Qla m it is; .to; be understood thatjthe invention 7 is grious ehanges .cniayjbe; made within, the cope of the claims whieh follow. I v nztheidmwing Figure 1 1s a 'sectlo 50; the lock'ring mounted therein V eiiAizr-Es 1 (51? oiwri-rrriirtn "ro CHARLES 5A1 eme-A; i) o i-nm mn' ro Jo er s r nnn soli 30T; or m micremovedfI'OIll the bearing and havin'g its lockedyj 7, w o Figure (Sis a view showingthezlock' ring In theiaccon panying drawings, there has heendiscloseda structuredesigned toc'arry a 0 I outthe various DbjGCijS Of, thle i v nti ibute g g th f o hl V shaped gap 10 is-alsoprovided between the not confined to the exact features -shownasnaiiview on the line 3 11 of Figure 2, showing a bearing with "Applicationlfiled J'ulyill; i929; Serial-K6 3714425 Figure 2 is; aiseetionajl view on the line Figure- 3 isaviewgshowingthe lock ring terminals interlocked; a t I Figure 4; is a view similar to Figure 3, showing the terminals disengaged; 1

' vFigure-i5 is a View. showing the norma' 13051110111016 the termlnals when not 1nter-- COMM-661w a v. 7 g e 7 is a sectionaljviewj on;;the line FigureS illustrates lock rin go f modified j Tform innormal position; and 1 I v 3 Figure 9 illustrates the ring shown in Fig-c ure, 8, contrasted;

In the'selected inven j tion here shown, there is illufstrated in Fig ures land 2, for) purposes of disclosure, a

bearing 2 such, for; example, as are commonly providedin a piston to support .the' wristpin 3 therein. The bfi,IiI1g;'iS here showni'provided with an annular groove 4" 75; adapted to receive the look ring which will subsequently be described 7 1 i The novel: lock ring featured in 'thisin-, vention comprises a bodyportionfi, substantially circular in'eonfig'uration, and having 50) end portions 6 and 7 bentinwardly,v as best 7 sho'wnin Figures 3 t o;6. The endportion: Y 6 is provided with a'terminal hook or detent v a 8 adapted to be reeeivedin a'terminal eye 9, r 1

providedon the rend portion, 7. The end- 5 i POrtions 6 and 7 are so shaped that when the l detent 8 is engaged with. the eye' 9, an out;

ward pressure is exerted on the ring portioni-5, thereby firmlyhOldingthe ring in it the groove, as shown inxFigure 2 andprea g;

venting it from accidentally becoming dis- 7 end portions Gland 7,;asshown in Figures 2; ar d &0 "Pe m t t n er o in, p Y suitable tool lltherebetween to spread apart the portions 6 and as iindicated'by the dotted-lines in Figure 4,;

1 To remove the look ringifrom thei'groove ti h P9i f isc ewid iye f rothe gsuo ta; a

ble instrument is inserted in the V-shaped gap and turned or slightly rotated, as shown in Figure 4, thereby causing the end portions 6 and 7 to saread suificientl to permit the detent 8 to e moved out otengagement with the eye 9, as shown inFigure 5.

The end portions 6 and 7 may then be rasped by a pair of pliers, indicated by the otted lines 12 in Figure 6, and moved in wardly as shown, thereby causingthe body portion 5 of the ring to contract sufficiently to permit the ring to be readily removed from the groove 4;. It will thus be seen that this novel lock ring may readily be removed from or inserted in the annular groove 4, by simply grasping the end portions 6 and 7 and contracting the ring as above described, after the detent 8 has been disena gaged from the eye 9.

When the ring is inserted in a groove as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and the detent 8 is engaged with the eye 9, the ring cannot accidentally become disengaged from the g5 groove because of the inherent outward pressure in the ring portion 5, as a resultof the interlocking engagement of the end portions G and 7." v This novel device therefore provides a lock ring well adapted for use in connection with engine pistonsto retain the wrist pins in the bearings thereof. Obviously, the lock ring may be used in connection with other types of bearings or devices, where applicable.

36 Figures 8 and 9 illustrate a modified form of ring'having legs 13 and 14 formed from a-single piece of wire, and having terminals 15 and 16, respectively, adapted for interlocking engagement, as shown in Figure 8.

The lower portions of the legs 13 and 1 are connected by a loop 17, located within the confines of the legs as shown in Figure 9. The connections 18 connecting the loop 17 with the legs 13am 14 provide means 53 whereby the ring may be contracted as shown 'inFigure 9, by simply bending the connections inwardly by means of a pair of pliers or other suitable instrument, thereby causing the eifective ring diameter to be decreased sufiiciently to permitthe ring to be readily inserted into and removed from theannular groove 4, shown in Figures 1 and 2. A small inward depression 19 is provided inthe leg 18, into which a suitable 3 instrument may be inserted, when the ring is seated in the groove 4, to provide means for lifting the leg13'out of the groove, after theterminals 15 and 16 have been separated by contracting thering, as hereinbefore described, thereby facilitating the removal ofthe ring from the bearing groove. 1

I clalm as my invention:

1. An expansion lock ring adapted for use in connection with abearing having an aninwardly and disposed within the confines of said body portion, and means whereby said end portions may be interlocked to retain the lock ring in the bearing groove.

2. An expansion lock ring adapted for use in connection with a bearing having an annular groove in the bore thereof, said lock ring being formed from wire and shaped to provide a circular body portion adapted to be fitted into the groove of said bearing, the end portions of the wire from which said body portion is formed being bent inwardly and spaced apart at the periphery of the ring, and means whereby said end portions may be interlocked when the ring is seated in said groove, whereby an outward force is exerted in said body portion to retain the ring in the bearing groove.

3. An expansion lock ring adapted for use in connectionwith-a bearing having an annular groove in the bore thereof, said lock ring being formed from wire and shaped to provide a circular body portion adapted to be fitted into the groove of said bearing, the end portions of the wire from which said body portion is formed being bent inwardly and spaced apart at the periphery of the ring to permit the ring to be contracted for insertion into the groove, and the terminals of said inwardly bent end portions being provided with means whereby they may be interlocked, when the ring is seated in said groove, and whereby an outward force is exerted in said body portion to retain the ring in the bearing groove.

4:. An expansion lock ring adapted for use in connection with a bearing having an annular groove in the bore thereof, said lock ring being formed from wire and shaped to provide a circular body portion adapted to be fitted into the groove in said bearing to retain a member therein, said ring having end portions bent inwardly and situated within the confines of the ring, an eye on one of said end portions and a detent on the other of said end portions, said'eye and detent being adapted for interlocking engagement, when the ring is seated in said groove, whereby an outward force is exerted in the body of the ring to retain it in the bearing groove.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 2d day of July 1929. 1

. CHARLES H. CLEVELAND. 

